A montelukast sodium salt is a substance which exhibits efficacy of Singulair (available from Korean MSD) generally used for the treatment of asthma as well as for the symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis, which is pharmaceutically known as a leukotriene receptor antagonist. Leukotrienes produced in vivo by metabolic action of arachidonic acid include LTB4, LTC4, LTD4 and LTE4. Of these, LTC4, LTD4 and LTE4 are cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs), which are clinically essential in that they exhibit pharmaceutical effects such as contraction of airway muscles and smooth muscles and promotion of secretion of bronchial mucus.
Montelukast sodium salt is a white and off-white powder which has physical and chemical properties that it is well soluble in ethanol, methanol and water and is practically insoluble in acetonitrile.
A conventionally known method for preparing a montelukast sodium salt is disclosed in EP Patent No. 480,717. However, the method in accordance with the EP Patent requires processes for introducing and then removing a tetrahydropyranyl (THP) protecting group and purification by chromatography, thus being disadvantageously unsuitable for mass-production. In addition, the method disadvantageously requires investment in high-cost equipment, for example, to obtain amorphous final compounds by lyophilization.
Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,632 discloses an improved method for preparing a montelukast sodium salt by directly reacting a methanesulfonyl compound (2) with 1-(lithium mercaptomethyl)cyclopropaneacetic acid lithium salt, without using the tetrahydropyranyl protecting group used in EP Patent No. 480,717, purifying in the form of a dicyclohexylamine salt by adding dicyclohexylamine to the reaction solution, and converting the salt into a montelukast sodium salt (1).
However, the method in accordance with the US patent should use n-butyl lithium as a base in the process of preparing the 1-(lithium mercaptomethyl)cyclopropaneacetic acid lithium salt and thus requires an improved process due to drawbacks that n-butyl lithium is dangerous upon handling and is an expensive reagent.
PCT International Patent Laid-open No. WO 2005/105751 discloses a method for preparing a montelukast sodium salt, comprising coupling methyl 1-(mercaptomethyl)cyclopropane acetate (3) used in step 10 shown in Example 146 of EP Patent 480,717 with a methanesulfonyl compound (2) in the presence of a solvent/cosolvent/base, performing hydrolysis, recrystallizing the resulting montelukast acid (4) in the presence of a variety of solvents to obtain highly pure montelukast acid (4), and converting the same into a montelukast sodium salt (1).
In addition, WO 2005/105751 claims that, in the coupling reaction, one is selected from tetrahydrofurane and dimethylcarbonate as a solvent, a highly polar solvent is selected from dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide and N-methylpyrrolidone as a cosolvent, and one is selected from sodium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, sodium hydride, sodium methoxide, potassium tert-butoxide, lithium diisopropylamine and quaternary ammonium salts, as a base.
However, WO 2005/105751 discloses that, since the coupling reaction requires use of a mixed solvent and the mixed solvent is different from the solvent used for hydrolysis, a process for removing the cosolvent through distillation under reduced pressure or extraction is further required prior to hydrolysis.
Further, in accordance with the method of WO 2005/105751, recrystallization is performed in the presence of a variety of solvents in order to obtain a highly pure montelukast acid (4) and the resulting recrystallization yield is varied in a range of 30 to 80%, depending on the solvent. In the case where desired purity is not obtained, recrystallization is repeated until montelukast acid (4) with a desired purity can be obtained. Disadvantageously, the method causes deterioration in overall yield.